The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)

Why are there 8 candidates still in the race?

- By Steve Peoples

Presidenti­al politics move fast. What we’re watching heading into a new week on the 2020campai­gn.

WASHINGTON (AP) » Presidenti­al politics move fast. What we’re watching heading into a new week on the 2020 campaign: Days to South Carolina primary: 5 Days to Super Tuesday: 8 Days to general election: 253

The narrative

Bernie Sanders has become the clear front-runner in the Democrats’ presidenti­al nomination fight. And his Democratic critics are only now beginning to realize they’re running out of time to stop him. Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg, among others, dramatical­ly intensifie­d their attacks against the Vermont senator over the weekend. But the cluster of candidates splitting up the anti-Sanders vote is not shrinking. Biden is as committed as ever ahead of South Carolina’s primary this Saturday, betting that his first victory could slingshot himto the front of the moderate muddle. And Mike Bloomberg, who gets a chance to redeem himself in Tuesday’s debate, has 400 million reasons not to get out before Super Tuesday. With eight candidates still in the race, Sanders’ path to the nomination is growing by the day.

The big questions

Why are there eight candidates still in the race?

Sanders’ Democratic critics are getting louder. But math is on Sanders’ side. The longer a large number of candidates stay in the race, the more likely Sanders becomes the nominee. None of Sanders’ seven rivals is showing any signs of going away, even though five of the seven candidates have not finished better than third place through three contests. If that continues? Review the Republican­s’ 2016 primary to know how this will end.

Can Bloomberg redeem himself?

Bloomberg was bad in his presidenti­al debate debut last week. With his money, you get a second chance at first impression, or so he hopes. The former New York mayor, worth an estimated $60 billion, could help himself this week. His first shot at redemption comes Monday night when he appears at a CNN town hall for the first time. Just 24 hours later, he’ll join five leading rivals for a full-on debate. Perhaps he was surprised by the intensity of the Democratic pileon during the first meeting. He won’t have any excuses this time. Don’t forget that Bloomberg has already spent more than $400 million on television advertisin­g across the nation. That virtually guarantees him a chunk of the Super Tuesday vote.

Should we call it a comeback?

When is a double-digit loss a win? When you’re Joe Biden, apparently, and you’ve finished in a distant second place in Nevada after fourth and fifth place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. Biden’s campaign manager declared Nevada the beginning of a comeback, and before he left the state, Biden promised a victory in South Carolina on Saturday that would allow him to “take this thing back.” He’s certainly not the strong centrist that establishm­ent Democrats hoped for, but Biden may be the only candidate not named Sanders with a legitimate chance of winning a state where they don’t live over the next eight days. The lifeline he got from Nevada may be meaningles­s, however, if he doesn’t win South Carolina decisively.

Will Warren turn on Bernie?

It’s obvious by now that Elizabeth Warren doesn’t like Bloomberg. She savaged him during the first debate, then repeatedly used him as foil — even mocking his height a la President Donald Trump — a tactic that no doubt helped her raise a lot of much-needed money.

The deeply personal attacks were closer to Sen. Marco Rubio’s “small hands” swipe at then-candidate Trump in 2016 than anything we’ve seen from the former Harvard professor in 2020. The larger question is whether Warren will turn on Sanders, a fellow progressiv­e stalwart and longtime ally who has dominated the far-left lane so far. Tuesday night’s debate may be one of Warren’s final prime-time opportunit­ies to do so in a meaningful way.

Are Democrats crossing a line on Russia?

The unified conclusion of the U.S. intelligen­ce community was that the Russians sought to interfere in the 2016 presidenti­al election to benefit Trump. The Russians are back, but this time in a different way and it’s affecting the Democratic race. In a fundraisin­g email over the weekend, Buttigieg highlighte­d news that Russia has sought to intervene on Sanders’ behalf in 2020. And Biden went further, declaring from the podium in Nevada that Russian President Vladimir Putin would continue helping “somebody who he doesn’t think can beat Trump.”

Such attacks will live forever on the internet and raise long-term questions about the legitimacy of the Democratic front-runner’s strength. They’re also a reminder that there are few lines politician­s won’t cross when they’re fighting for their survival.

The final thought

South Carolina may be the focus, but this week is all about Super Tuesday. More than a dozen states will hold primary contests in eight days, and in many cases, voters in those states are already deep into early voting. By the end of March 3, nearly 40% of all delegates will be awarded. And based on the D emocrats’ allocation rules, anyone coming out of Super Tuesday with a significan­t delegate lead will be almost impossible to catch in the weeks ahead.

It’s later than you think.

 ?? DAVID ZALUBOWSKI—ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Democratic presidenti­al candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., right, acknowledg­es the crowd with Colorado State Sen. Julie Gonzalez, D-Denver, before speaking at a campaign rally Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Denver.
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI—ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidenti­al candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., right, acknowledg­es the crowd with Colorado State Sen. Julie Gonzalez, D-Denver, before speaking at a campaign rally Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Denver.
 ?? JOHN LOCHER—ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Democratic presidenti­al candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks while visiting a campaign office, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Las Vegas.
JOHN LOCHER—ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidenti­al candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks while visiting a campaign office, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Las Vegas.
 ?? MATT ROURKE—ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Democratic presidenti­al candidate former Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he departs after attending services, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, S.C.
MATT ROURKE—ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidenti­al candidate former Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he departs after attending services, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, S.C.
 ?? SUSANWALSH—ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Democratic presidenti­al candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign stop in Arlington, Va., Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020.
SUSANWALSH—ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidenti­al candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign stop in Arlington, Va., Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020.
 ?? NICK WAGNER—ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Democratic presidenti­al candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to his supporters during a campaign event on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Austin, Texas.
NICK WAGNER—ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidenti­al candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to his supporters during a campaign event on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Austin, Texas.

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